Helen Cooper loves markets so much that she has organised Wakefield’s weekly street food market, a Christmas market and now the first Easter market in the village.
The markets are held on the site beside the old post office which is going through a major renovation under the guidance of Helen and her husband, James.
They are living in a caravan until the renovations are completed, but the post office has already become a meeting place since Helen organised the street-food market 18 months ago.
Tables and chairs are set out beside the post office, music and lights are added and locals are offered a selection of street food from the visiting food cart, Street Food on Washington.
“It just goes wild and we have up to 200 people. We’ve got a group of 10 ‘super seniors’ who dine here by candlelight and they absolutely love it. We’ve got to know a lot of locals.”
That led to a market just before Christmas with a few stands offering local wares and products, and she has 14 stands booked so far for the Easter market which will be held on March 30 between 10am and 3pm.
One of the stands will be her own which includes French country-ware and upcycling, with an Easter theme.
She says the market is a chance to showcase local talent and products, as well as add more life to the village centre.
“We’re all about wanting to bring life to Wakefield and people love markets. It’s a very vibrant community.”
Meanwhile, renovations on the 115-year-old post office are progressing.
Helen says they hope it will be open for business before Christmas with a store for her work and a café.
“It’s starting to roll and we should see something really rolling within the next month. Inside, we’ve divided the front and back to create a modern version of what it used to be. The biggest part will be the outside.”
When complete, customers will be able to look up at the cupola from within the building and at night the cupola will be lit up as a beacon for the town.
“We hope people will see it as a landmark again. It’s a grand old lady that is ready to be restored and I think the community wants to support us to get it back on the map. It’s got lots and lots of stories.”
The building was purpose-built as a post office and officially opened in 1910.
After its closure it slipped into disrepair, often sitting derelict until Helen and James bought it to renovate.
The question now, Helen says, is do they paint the old post office pink again?
